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Cascade Winds Winter Concert 2017 Press Release

The Cascade Winds Symphonic Band will present the second concert of the 2016-2017 season on February 26th, 2017 at 2:00 pm in the Summit High School Auditorium. Michael Gesme will lead the ensemble in a wide range of musical fare. The concert will commence with an overture that is based on themes from Offenbach’s opera “Orpheus in the Underworld.” Though the opera may not be familiar, there is little doubt that the music of one of the most famous tunes, in English known as the ‘Can-Can’, will be instantly recognizable. The guest artist for the concert, oboist Mitch Iimori, will perform two works: Marcello’s “Oboe Concerto in C Minor” and a Latin Samba titled “Na Lapa,” arranged by Japanese composer Watanabe. Iimori is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music who makes his home in Portland, OR where he teaches and performs a wide variety of instruments including bassoon, banjo, and erhu. According to conductor Gesme, “Mitch is one of the most talented oboe players I have ever worked with. His sound is simply divine.” The up-tempo “Footlifter March” by Fillmore and the delicate “Intermezzo Sinfonico” from Mascagni’s opera “Cavalleria Rusticana” round out the first half.

The second half will feature a single work: Robert W. Smith’s “Symphony No. 2, The Odyssey.” Based on Homer’s literary epic, the four movements of this work are designed to give the listener a sense of the adventures experienced by Odysseus, the King of Ithaca. We will hear the battle cries of the Trojan War, the songs of the Sirens who lured sailors to their deaths on the rocks, a huge storm and devastating shipwreck caused by an infuriated Poseidon, the calm of the island paradise belonging to Calypso, and Odysseus’ ultimate return to Ithaca and his beloved Penelope. Filled with a huge assortment of unusual percussion instruments, glorious brass fanfares and delightful woodwind filigree, the work is certain to inspire visions of what is often referred to as “the best story ever written.”

The concert is free of charge and tickets are not required. For additional information please contact Michael Gesme at 541-383-7516 or mgesme@cocc.edu.